Hoy backs Wiggins to raise confidence

Great Britain hit a 14-year low at last month’s Track Cycling World Championships in Paris, when they won just three silver medals and missed out on a gold for the first time since 2001.

It was a real wake-up call considering Team GB cyclists won seven of the ten gold medals on offer at London 2012, not to mention the Rio Games edging ever closer.

But six-time Olympic champion Hoy believes the return of Wiggins to the set-up will provide a confidence boost on the road to Rio.

Hoy told skysports.com: "What you tend to need is a bit of a spark – something to get the momentum going, get that morale up a little bit. Once that morale is there, it's a snowball effect.

"I personally think that someone like Bradley coming back into the team could be significant for morale, to have that figurehead in the team, to really be leading them into battle in Rio. That will be the crucial – not deciding – factor, but it will certainly help the team.

"You can just see the guys when Bradley turns up for training. Before the Commonwealth Games, when he was in the track centre, everyone was walking a little bit straighter and taller. Everybody is inspired by him so, fingers crossed, he will have a positive effect on the team on the whole."

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